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Mi Hwang

NPCs
Tiefling · Rogue, level 2; Noble background

Mi Hwang

Tavern keeper and former minor noble
AC13
HP16/16
Init
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
ConditionsNone

At the table

Voice

A dry, rounded rasp shaped by a kitchen's clatter and years of calling orders, with careful, court-taught articulation. His words come briskly when he is working; when angry, he remains at full volume but becomes exact and cutting.

His voice has a dry, rounded rasp from years of calling orders over kitchen noise, softened by the measured phrasing of his court education. He clips the ends of practical instructions and gives names a little extra care. When angered, he does not lower his voice: he makes each word more precise, as if setting a cup down exactly on its mark.

Speech patterns

He asks practical questions first: whether someone has eaten, where they are staying, and what time they need to leave.
He frames difficult truths as choices, then lets the listener keep their dignity.
He uses formal titles when annoyed and familiar names when he is trying to reassure someone.
He rarely makes threats; instead, he calmly explains exactly what a person will lose if they continue.

How to play them

Mi Hwang welcomes strangers with food and a practical offer of help, but carefully tests their discretion before sharing anything sensitive. He is generous with people in need and firm with anyone who endangers his staff. Earn his trust by respecting the tavern's workers, keeping a confidence, or helping without demanding public credit.

Goal

Keep Reedclear safe and solvent while quietly restoring enough of his family's standing to protect his aunt from the consequences of their old defeat.

Motivation

Mi Hwang wants to make safety feel ordinary: a warm meal, a locked door, and a place where a frightened person can sleep without being asked to explain themselves.

Secret · GM only

Appearance

Mi Hwang is a compact, composed tiefling whose horns curl back from his temples like polished blackwood brackets. His russet skin has a fine, matte texture, and the gold rings at the base of each horn are worn smooth from years of fidgeting. His eyes track exits, hands, and who is watching whom before they ever settle on a face. His palms are broad and callused from casks, cleavers, and carrying hot pots; his long, blunt nails are scrubbed clean. He moves with the economical sidestep of someone used to slipping between crowded tables, leaving behind the impression of a host who has already noticed the trouble you have not yet caused. Unexpectedly, he keeps a pocket-sized collection of pressed marsh flowers, each labeled in an immaculate hand.

Clothing

He wears a dark indigo, cross-collared robe jacket inspired by East Asian workwear, secured with a russet sash and stitched with understated cloud motifs. The sleeves are tied back with narrow cords while he works. A quilted vest, practical trousers, soft-soled boots, and a plain iron key ring complete the outfit. His clothes are well mended, never pristine.

Body language

He stands at a slight angle rather than squarely facing people, giving himself a view of the room and an unobstructed path to the door. His hands remain busy with a towel, cup, or receipt. When a guest lies, his attention shifts briefly to the speaker's hands. When genuinely pleased, his shoulders loosen and his tail curls around a chair leg.

Height
5 feet 8 inches
Build
Compact and sturdy, with a tavern keeper's strong shoulders and steady balance.
Eyes
Deep amber, with narrow pupils that catch the lamplight.
Hair
Black, worn in a neat knot at the nape, with a few strands silvering at the temples.
Skin
Burnished russet, with a subtle coppery sheen in warm light.
Age
Forty-six, middle-aged by human standards.
Gender
Male
Size
Medium

Distinguishing features

Blackwood-dark horns curve back from his temples, each ringed at the base with a small, worn gold band.
His eyes sweep a room in a practiced circuit, checking hands and exits before faces.
His broad, callused palms are unexpectedly careful with delicate cups and pressed flowers.
His tail curls around furniture legs when he is concentrating.

Personality

13 traits and drives

Mi Hwang can be genuinely warm and almost ceremonious with a guest, yet privately suspicious of anyone who offers easy favors. He enjoys the small rituals of hosting but resents being treated as a servant by people who mistake courtesy for submission. In a calm room he is wry and attentive; under pressure he becomes terse, controlling, and startlingly decisive. He wants to believe people can change, but keeps a careful record of how they behave when they think no one is watching.

Alignment
Neutral good

Quirks

He turns every cup handle to face the person who will drink from it.
He gives names to the tavern's troublesome floorboards and apologizes to them when they creak.
He keeps pressed marsh flowers in carefully labeled slips, including one labeled only 'the night we stayed.'
He taps a spoon once against the rim of a pot before tasting, even when nobody is watching.
He counts the empty chairs before closing and leaves one unstacked for any late-arriving traveler.

Habits

He notices who has not eaten and quietly sends food before asking questions.
When he is worried, he checks the cellar latch twice, then pretends he was only inspecting the hinges.
He smiles through ordinary insults, but becomes brisk and exact when someone threatens a worker or guest.
He takes the long route through the room whenever an argument begins, placing himself near the most vulnerable person.

Traits · 3

He remembers a guest's preferred tea and their last stated worry, sometimes weeks later.
He offers help freely but distrusts anyone who insists that help must create a debt.
He takes pride in noble manners while refusing to pretend that a title makes a person virtuous.

Flaws · 3

He hides important worries behind hospitality until a problem has become urgent.
He assumes he can personally manage every danger under his roof.
His instinct to protect others can become controlling when he believes he knows best.

Fears · 3

That the old family dispute will bring violence to his staff and regulars.
That protecting people by withholding the truth will eventually cost him their trust.
That his aunt will be drawn into the political schemes he left behind.

Wants and needs · 4

He wants enough money to repair Reedclear's cellar roof before the next wet season.
He needs to know whether the old riot evidence can be used without endangering his aunt.
He wants his staff to see him as a friend and employer, not merely a former noble who pays on time.
He needs to accept help before every problem becomes his alone.

Combat

AC 13 · HP 16 · 30 ft.

Mi Hwang avoids a fair fight. He positions himself near cover, uses the crowd and furniture to break lines of attack, and targets a distracted opponent with Sneak Attack. He uses Cunning Action to disengage, hide, or reach a protected guest. He will fight to create an escape route, not to pursue a fleeing enemy.

Mi Hwang

Medium humanoid (tiefling), neutral good
Armor Class13
Hit Points16
Speed30 ft.
Level2
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
Saving ThrowsDexterityIntelligence
SkillsDeceptionPersuasionInvestigationPerceptionSleight of Hand
SensesDarkvision 60 ft.; passive Perception 11
Languages
Common,
Infernal
Darkvision. Mi Hwang can see in dim light within 60 feet as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light, in shades of gray.
Hellish Resistance. Mi Hwang has resistance to fire damage.
Infernal Legacy. Mi Hwang knows the thaumaturgy cantrip.
Sneak Attack. Once per turn, Mi Hwang deals an extra damage when he hits with a finesse or ranged weapon and has advantage, or when an ally is within 5 feet of the target and Mi Hwang does not have disadvantage.
Cunning Action. Mi Hwang can use a bonus action to Dash, Disengage, or Hide.

Spells

Thaumaturgy (cantrip, transmutation). A tiefling innate spell. Mi Hwang creates a harmless supernatural effect such as a small flame flickering, a gust of wind, a rumble, or a door slamming.

Actions

Parrying Knife. Melee Weapon Attack: to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 () piercing damage. If Sneak Attack applies, Mi Hwang deals an additional damage.
Dart. Ranged Weapon Attack: to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 4 () piercing damage. If Sneak Attack applies, Mi Hwang deals an additional damage.
Thaumaturgy. Mi Hwang casts thaumaturgy, producing a harmless supernatural effect such as a rumbling voice, a sudden gust, a flame flickering, or a door slamming.

Reactions

Between Guest and Blade. When a creature Mi Hwang can see attacks a guest within 5 feet of him, Mi can impose disadvantage on the attack roll by interposing a chair, tray, or his own body. He must be able to move and must not be incapacitated.

Services they sell

Lodging and meals at Reedclear
A discreet place to meet away from the street
Rumors gathered from travelers, suppliers, and messengers

Rewards they can give

A safe room and a hot meal, no questions asked.
A discreet introduction to a reliable city messenger.
Information about local officials and tavern regulars, if Mi trusts the characters.

Equipment

  • Parrying knife (weapon)A finely balanced, unornamented knife kept in a concealed sheath beneath his sash.
  • Darts (weapon)Four steel darts hidden in the folds of his work clothes.
  • Tavern apron (clothing)A well-used leather apron with a stitched inner pocket for keys and folded notes.
  • Flower box (personal keepsake)A small lacquered box of labeled, pressed marsh flowers, kept carefully dry.

Possessions

The deed to Reedclear
A ring bearing the worn seal of his former household
A key ring with keys to the tavern, cellar, and staff rooms
A packet of letters from his aunt Nara
A lacquered box of pressed marsh flowers

Background

Born into a minor tiefling noble household, Mi Hwang was raised to pour tea, remember names, and keep his opinions invisible at court. When his family backed the wrong claimant in a succession dispute, their estate was seized and Mi was sent away with a small purse and a list of people who might still owe them favors. He found work in the city of Veyru at a tavern built on ground cleared of marsh reeds, and eventually bought it from its failing owner. The place is called Reedclear, after the stubborn plants that had to be cut back to lay its foundations. Years ago, during a winter riot, Mi hid a pair of frightened children in the cellar and lied to an armed search party with such calm conviction that the soldiers left empty-handed. That night changed his idea of nobility: a title was only useful if it could keep someone safe. Now he balances a tavern's debts, the fading claims of his family, and the demands of Veyru's officials. His widowed aunt Nara writes to him from the provinces, while his former court tutor Baatu keeps offering him a place in the political game he escaped.

Role in the story

A well-connected refuge and information broker whose tavern can become a safe meeting place, a source of rumors, or the focal point of a political threat from his former noble life.

“He found work in the city of Veyru at a tavern built on ground cleared of marsh reeds, and eventually bought it from its failing owner.”
From their background
Faction
Formerly connected to a minor noble household; now an independent tavern keeper with informal ties to Veyru's messengers and market workers.

Known connections

Nara Hwang, his widowed aunt, sends him letters full of family news and discreet requests for help.
Baatu, his former court tutor, wants Mi to reclaim his family's political standing and keeps sending invitations.
Esen, the tavern's cook, is his closest friend and the only person who can tell when his cheerful hosting is an act.
The children Mi sheltered during the winter riot are now adults; one works as a city messenger and still leaves anonymous warnings at the tavern.
Major secret · GM only
Minor secrets · GM only

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